The Thief and the Fighter
by Dylan Millwood
Summary: Adopted from Agurra of the friendships are often formed from the most unlikely of circumstances, with none being more unlikely than with these two, one born through rivalry and battle. NarutoxKorrina.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Now before anybody says anything,** **Agurra of the Darkness put this message out on the first chapter:**

 **"Yo everyone, say hello to one of my first….Honestly I don't know whether to call this a challenge or something else. Regardless this is an idea I had recently for a Naruto Pokemon Crossover, but I'm not good at this type of crossover but think this idea has serious potential. If anyone is interested in taking this story up let me know."**

 **Well, I was interested.**

 **So without further delay now that's bee addressed, let's get this going!**

* * *

The sounds of the mildly rough waves were rhythmic to those that heard them crash against the sands where the Tower of Mastery lay. A beautiful and ancient landmark of Shalour City, and the Kalos region on a whole, the Tower of Mastery was a representation of strength, power, and growth to the many that safeguarded it and gazed upon it.

With thick stone, the massive architectural marvel was made. It's entrance was made up on a relatively small stairway that led to an arched entryway, which had been melded into the construction of the tower's outer wall. The outer wall was composed of thick, red brick that continued to remain immune to the ravages of time and the weather. The walls were topped with ramparts and had small window-like holes for tourists to gaze through when they went to visit the structure. From the entryway, people were led to the actual complex where there were numerous buildings that were composed of marble, brick and hard stone and topped with either red or blue roof tiles. Then came possibly one of the most discouraging stairways ever built as the stairs that led to the actual entrance of the Tower of Mastery numbered close to, possibly exceeding, one hundred. The main tower however, was worth seeing once you arrived to it. Made up of white marble supports and red brick and stone as its exterior, the main tower rose high up into air as if trying to scrape the heavens where Arceus's domain lay. Numerous rooms lined the four circular floors since the groundskeepers, watchers and owners of the Tower of Mastery had to have some place to sleep after all. Each floor was accessible by the massive spiral staircase within.

Now within one of these rooms on the second floor, the soft snores of the successor of the Tower of Mastery echoed outwards from the small crack in her doorway. From the window, the bright rays of the sun shone through and decided in all its infinite glory...to shine itself directly on her face, proceeding to wake her up should she wish to be cooked alive.

"Uuuuuuugh." The young girl groaned as she twisted away from the sun, but it was all in vain. Curse the creators of the tower for making the windows so bloody huge. Sitting up in her bed, the light skinned girl stretched out her stiff muscles, yawned loudly and then proceeded to release a small sigh of relief when her joints popped ever so nicely. Long lemon yellow hair that stretched all the way to the girl's mid-back was wild and unkept due to the obvious reason of its owner having now been roused from her slumber. She wiped the remnants of sleepiness out of her eyes before blinking away the spots, revealing her light gray eyes to the world.

She walked over to the smaller bed which lay next to her own and proceeded to kick it, waking its occupant with a start.

Said occupant leaped into the air with a cry of surprise before landing in a fighting position. It was a small, blue, canine pokémon. It had black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It had rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws. It had a black "mask" and red eyes. It stood on its toes instead of its entire foot as it looked around for its attacker only to frown when the attacker was revealed to be its trainer.

"Ru Ru!" Riolu then proceeded to glare at its trainer when it saw said trainer giggling at its reaction. "Riiiiii." The pre-evolution of Lucario growled before huffing.

"Good morning to you too, Rilou."

A knock then came at the door before it was pushed open.

"Korrina, are you awake?" An elderly man asked, poking his head into the room. The young girl, now identified as Korrina, turned away from her pokémon to smile at the man.

Gurkinn, Korrina's grandfather, was a relatively elderly man with the same light skin tone as his granddaughter and, since he was in his late sixties and Korrina was ten, he towered over her form. His clothing consisted of a gray sweater worn over a dark red t-shirt, a pair of matching gray pants and a pair of black sandals. On his wrist was a dark gray wristband, which held a shining multicolored gem bearing an odd black symbol in its centre. Gurkinn's hair, or rather what remained of it since all that was left on his head was a single streak that ran from the top of his head to the base of his skull, was a paler lemon yellow color with a few strands of gray due to his advanced age. His eyebrows, those were eye catching as they stretched all the way off of his face and arched down to his cheeks like some sort of odd handlebar mustache, except in eyebrow form. His light gray eyes met his granddaughter's own with as much love and caring an old man could hold for his granddaughter.

Following after its trainer, the head of a Lucario poked its head into the room as well. The Aura Pokémon growled out a greeting to both the young girl and her partner pokémon.

"Morning grandpa!"

"Ru Ru Riolu!" Riolu waved to Gurkinn.

"Good, hurry up and get ready. You have your lessons to learn, as well as the grocery shopping to do later." The Mega Evolution Guru received a nod from Korrina before he exited the premises with Lucario. The Aura Pokémon offered a quick goodbye growl to the young girl before following after its trainer.

When the door had shut, Korrina did as she was told. She went into the bathroom and performed her daily routine of bathing, brushing her teeth, and changing into her clothes which consisted of a pair of white and blue running shoes, light gray pants and a blue t-shirt. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a black hairtie and after nodding in satisfaction, her second opinion of acceptance coming from Riolu, she ran downstairs for breakfast which ate with much vigor.

Then began the learning. Being the successor to her grandfather to become the next Mega Evolution Guru and owner of the Tower of Mastery, something her family had been in charge of for numerous generations, Korrina was required to go through much more than what the usual ten year old was required to go through. While she did learn the basic skills of writing, language arts, mathematics and reading, she was also required to study extensively when it came to the subject of history.

"Remember Korrina..." Her grandfather always lectured to her about this. "...as my successor, while you are to learn basic knowledge in other subjects, the history of what our family does is what is most important. The secret skills which we currently safeguard are unknown to you, but you will know them in time. The secrets of Mega Evolution, the various rituals and processes that are handed down from generation to generation by our family, these things and many more are what you are required to learn."

And learn she did. Everything from the Great Kalos War from three thousand years ago, to the founding of the first Mega Evolution in the form of a Mega Lucario, the mascot and symbol of her family. She would have to learn it all, but in her eyes, it would all be worth it.

She looked to the giant statue of the Mega Lucario which rested before her, and then turned to her Riolu. "Some day, we're gonna be strong and then we'll do the trials, get the Lucarionite and then you'll be able to Mega Evolve, just like grandpa's Lucario." She stated like it was already a fact.

"Ru." Riolu nodded stiffly.

The hours went by and Korrina, being a ten year old being forced to learn at the hands of her boring grandfather despite his attempts to try and make her intellectual learning more fun, was bored out of her Arceus damned mind. She looked up at the clock of her grandfather's study before her eyes brightened when she heard the old chronometer chime.

"FOOD!" She exclaimed with joy. It was twelve o' clock. It was noon. It was time to feast like a king. It was time...

"Korrina, remember we're running a bit low on food so you have to go buy the groceries."

It was time for child labor to be enacted.

"What?! Why do I have to do it?!" Korrina pouted at being forced to go out to actually get the food.

"Because you were the one who struck the deal with me when a certain someone asked if they could have a slumber party last weekend. If it weren't for your little rabid friends, you wouldn't have had to do this. If you want to blame someone either blame yourself, or blame your friends."

There was a moment of silence as the two family members stared at each other. Riolu and Lucario looked at each other before glancing at their respective trainers. The silence created a tension so great it could have been palpable.

"I blame my friends."

The two pokémon sweatdropped while Gurkinn merely chuckled in amusement at his granddaughter.

"I thought you would." Food was the higher priority. Screw friends, they sucked when they depleted your sources of sustenance. "Now go." She was handed the list of things to buy for lunch and dinner for the day, as well as 3000 Poke. The golden coins jingled in the small wallet as she pushed it down into her pockets.

"See you in a bit, grandpa."

"Be careful."

"I have Riolu with me. Don't worry." Korrina said before running out of the Tower of Mastery.

"Riolu!" The young Pokemon sped after its trainer, giving a quick salute to Gurkinn and his Lucario. Lucario offered a salute back merely to humor the younger Pokemon.

As the duo had completed their trek across the lengthy sands to reach the main area of Shalour City, they quickly paused, observing their surroundings with childish glee. Due to being regularly cooped up in the Tower, Korrina and Riolu always found themselves a bit taken aback when they stepped into the city of the mainland. Cobblestone pathways that were outlined by the various pieces of architecture, vegetation in the form of bushes and small trees, and the numerous amounts of people and Pokemon that roamed the streets along side them.

Korrina and Riolu then began their trek to head for the Poke Mart. Though the blue roofed building mainly dealt with Pokemon trainers, selling various potions, elixirs, Poke Balls and whatnot, they also doubled as a grocery mart for the non-trainer demographic of their customer populace.

She and Riolu looked around marveling at the activity going on around them. They paused here and there to look at certain things that caught their eyes such as the bakery which sold both poffles and macaron, their brightly colored forms making it seem like there was rainbow being shown through the glass windows. They also stopped at the area of street which overlooked the beachfront, the Tower of Mastery in her view once more, where a Pokemon battle was currently going on. A Nidorino and a Gengar were fighting. Korrina was rooting for the Gengar to win, punching the air vibrantly and cheering whenever the Shadow Pokemon managed to land a hit.

"Alright, that's enough dawdling." Korrina said as she patted her face. "Time to buy lunch and dinner for me and grandpa."

"Riiiiii." The blue furred Pokemon growled.

"And for you too, Riolu. As if I'd ever forget you...or Lucario. You guys eat everything."

"Ru." Riolu pouted making Korrina giggle as she patted its head.

"OI! GIVE THAT BACK YOU MISERABLE BRAT!" The duo then turned when they heard the quick tapping sounds that came with the action of someone running through the streets. Running shoes clapped against the cobblestone pathway and the young girl and her Pokemon watched with wide eyes when they saw a young boy with a Pancham on his head, raced towards them. A middle-aged shopkeeper, the baker who sold the macarons she and Riolu had seen earlier Korrina recognized, chased after the boy.

With his head ducked down low, Korrina wasn't able to make out his face, but the spiky locks that appeared as if they were kissed by the sun were not hard for one to be drawn to. His tanned complexion was also something uncommon since not a lot of people, despite living in a seaside city, ever managed to get the kind of tan this boy possessed. His clothes consisted of a orange and blue hooded sweatshirt with a pair of dark blue shorts and black running shoes. Judging from his height, Korrina would guess to say that the boy was no older than she was.

The Pancham on the boy's head turned around and blew a raspberry at the baker, but quickly had to grasp onto the spiky locks as the boy knocked his shoulder against Korrina's. Korrina was about to cry out, but her light gray eyes widened when she felt the loss of weight in her pocket. She patted her pants and realized the wallet that her grandfather had given her was no longer there, and her ears picked up on the jingle of the golden coins.

She and Riolu looked on to see the boy pocketing the wallet for his own.

"OI GIVE THAT BACK!"

"RIO RU RU!"

Both trainer and Pokemon sped off after the young boy. Years of physical training from her grandfather since from the time she could walk had given the young blonde a great deal of physical prowess and so she was easily gaining on the boy.

"Pancha!" The small Fighting-type exclaimed. The boy glanced back and Korrina unconsciously took note of how beautifully blue his eyes were, like sapphires had been jammed into his sclera. The boy suddenly swerved to the side and ducked into the alleyways, but Korrina and Riolu were still able to keep pace. The smaller pathways inhibited them somewhat, but not greatly.

"When I get my hands on you, I'll kick you so hard that you'll need the Pokémon Center to fix you!"

The blonde boy turned back and grinned toothily as he turned into a conjoining alleyway. Korrina and Riolu grinned when they looked ahead of the boy and saw the large, to them, metal wire fence that was placed halfway within the alley.

"Gotcha now."

"Ru."

However, the two came to a halt and watched in amazement when the boy, without even missing a beat, hopped atop some nearby trashcans, knocking them over in the process and then gripped onto the wire, climbing it like a Mankey would a tree. He hopped over the fence, but Korrina and Riolu were in shock when they saw the young Pancham fall from its perch and onto the ground in front of them. The boy sped off, leaving the Pokemon behind as he rounded the corner, vanishing into the crowd with his stolen money.

The Pancham stared with wide eyes. It seemed as if the Panda pokémon wasn't expecting to be left behind either. Tears pooled, it sniffed heavily and then broke down. Crying and alone, the little Pancham was now left to fend for itself. Korrina and Riolu frowned in disgust at the thought of the boy leaving his Pokemon behind with no sort of remorse or regret, but then became sympathetic as they knelt down to the Pancham's height.

"Now, now...there there, it's alright." Korrina patted the Pancham on its head.

"Cham?" Korrina resisted the urge to release a girlish squeal at how cute Pancham looked as it wiped away its tears, its huge eyes gazing up at her in awe, as if her words were Gospel.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." She then punched her fist into the air. "And then we'll find that idiot guy and kick his teeth in for stealing my money and leaving you all alone, but mostly that first part." She patted her flexed bicep. "My grandpa's been teaching me to fight so I'll be sure to add in a Mega Korrina Kick just for you. Ain't that right, Riolu?"

"Ri Ru!" The aura using pokémon nodded cheerfully.

"Panchaaaaa!" Stars appeared in the Dark-type Pokemon's eyes before it leaped up and hugged Korrina. The young girl grinned widely as she hugged the little Fighting-type back. Riolu smirked at the scene, only for its red eyes to widen when Pancham's head rose up and a mischievous glint appeared in its eyes. Pancham suddenly leaped back and reared its arms back.

"PAN! CHAM!" The Playful pokémon was not so playful when it performed two Arm Thrust attacks in quick succession. Korrina's eyes widened when the wind was driven from her lungs and Riolu had only managed to cross its arms in front of its chest to block the attack. Riolu quickly recovered and went to attack with a Force Palm only for the Pancham to use Arm Thrust against and knock the trashcans at them. Garbage fell atop the two victims before their previous containment units clattered loudly on the ground when the young Dark-type climbed the wire fencing and pushed off, using the midair garbage cans as steps and landed on the rooftops.

Looking up, the garbage covered duo glared at the visage of the laughing blonde as he returned to the scene. The Pancham laughed as well before high fiveing the boy.

"You dirty...you tricked us!"

"Ru Ru!"

"Chaaaaaam!" The Playful Pokemon pulled at the skin beneath its eyes and stuck out its tongue. The boy then bent his head as the Pancham leaped back on top of it, and he bowed dramatically.

"Thanks for the money, girlie." The ten year old boy jangled the wallet from his perch. "And thanks for letting me know that little girls like you are still suckers for cute and helpless. Stupid and gullible, aren't they Pancham?"

"Pan." The Playful Pokemon nodded in agreement.

"I'll get you for this!"

"That's what they all say, girlie, but they all fail in the end."

"My name is Korrina, not girlie! And I WILL get you, Riolu and I will not let you get away with this!"

"I'm getting with it right now and just so you'll remember, let this be known as the day that you almost caught Naruto Uzumaki..." Pancham tapped him on the head. "...and Pancham."

"Cham." The Dark-type nodded in satisfaction.

And with that, the duo dropped down from the rooftops and vanished into the crowd just as they had done before. Korrina growled as she climbed back to her feet and shook what garbage she could off of her dirtied form.

"Riolu, we're catching that Naruto guy today! No one steals from us and gets away with it, no one!" She shook her fist at the streets. She and Riolu prepared to head back for the Tower of Mastery, when Korrina suddenly felt her food make contact with something. Her eyes darted down and an ill feeling rose in her stomach when she saw a small trip wire. She and Riolu quickly looked up at the sound of something moving and were greeting with a large face full of multiple paints, courtesy of two precariously placed buckets. The pair now looked like a modern art piece, reds, blues, greens and all manor of colors adorning their bodies, which along with the garbage they were already covered in made them look as weirdly as they smelled. Both trainer and pokemon began to shake with anger as each rubbed the paint away from their eyes, with both now reassembling small flames.

"OH THAT'S, IT SOON AS I GET CLEANED UP WE'RE HUNTING THAT GUY DOWN. YOU HEAR ME UZUMAKI, I'LL GET YOU!"

The pair however, found their growing anger spiking further when not a second later there was a faint "No, you won't!" being yelled back at her after she made her proclamation.

Korrina and Riolu had sped through the city and headed back to the Tower of Mastery. Gurkinn and his Lucario could only gaze in shock at the filthy, oddly colorful forms of his granddaughter and her Pokemon, but before he could ask what happened, the young girl had already sped up to her room and hopped into the bath, and when he decided to ask what happened AFTER she had cleaned herself and Riolu up, there was no time for that either apparently.

Her light gray eyes burned with the fires of vengeance as the girl put on a pair of tight black shorts and another light blue t-shirt, only this time she put a helmet on her head and switched her running shoes out for her roller-blade equipped ones.

"I'll catch that stupid Uzumaki boy, I swear it!"

"Korrina, what's going on?" Gurkinn asked. His granddaughter didn't appear to hear him as she was already heading for the door, but his firm grip latched onto her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Korrina." His tone was dangerously low, but Korrina had inherited her backbone from him, not her parents, so she was able to meet his fierce gaze with her own when she answered him.

"That stupid Uzumaki and his Pancham that's what! He stole the wallet with the money and then we chased him! Riolu and I thought we had 'im, but then he pulled some sort of ninja moves and jumped over the fence and climbed the roof and ran away, but then his Pancham tricked us when we were planning to kick his teeth in for stealing and then Pancham hit us and then they got away and the garbage and the paint, and the running and I needed to shower and AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The high-pitched, rage-induced shriek of the ten year old girl made Gurkinn, Lucario and Riolu cover their ears so that they wouldn't be deafened.

The little girl then grabbed her Pokemon by the arm and sped down the stairs, her room door slamming behind her when she did. Gurkinn and Lucario were left sitting there in Korrina's room with very confused looks on their faces.

"Lucario...did you understand anything that girl said?"

"Lu." The Aura Pokemon shook its head.

"Good...neither did I." Gurkinn sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

* * *

Naruto and Pancham sat in an old apartment building away from most of the hustle and bustle of the main area of the city. It wasn't completely run down as it had working water, plumbing and electricity. The old woman who had once owned the complex had died of old age, and until the city decided to place the building under the tag for demolition, it would act as the home for Naruto and Pancham.

The two partners in crime grinned widely at one another before high five-ing for the second time that day.

"We got a good haul today, buddy."

"Cham Cham Pancham!"

"A few dozen macarons and poffles to keep us both full for at least a week, and then we got that 3000 Poke from girlie and her Riolu." The ten-year-old blonde smirked. "Look like we can add this to the bank." The 'bank' was literally a big glass jar that, with the newly added 3000, was a little over half-full. Being what people called a 'Street Rattata', Naruto was forced to steal to survive. He had nothing, and when he was able to get his hands on something, he knew to make it last as long as possible.

"And that puts our funds at a little over 5000." Naruto patted his partner on the head. "Who knows, maybe we'll be able to get those red goggles for Pokemon that you spotted a while back."

"Pancha Pancha Cham." The Playful Pokemon smiled brightly, its trainer returning the smile. However, all went quiet when their ears perked up at the sound of their door literally being kicked in. The wood splintered everywhere and Naruto and Pancham looked up to see Korrina standing with Riolu, its glowing palm signifying that it had just used Force Palm to break down the door.

"Girlie?! How did you..."

"It's Korrina, you stupid head!" Korrina snapped. "As for how we found you two, well...Riolu managed to remember your auras pretty well. It was pretty easy to follow your aura trails. Now come on, hand over my money and then I won't beat you up as much."

"Pancham and I will fight you just as well, girlie." His smile broadened at the satisfying expression of rage that appeared on the light gray-eyed girl's face. He picked up a small backpack that was resting against the wall. He placed his 'bank' and the food he had stolen within it. "But I am also a thief, so since you found this place, that means I'll have to move out since you obviously won't leave me alone at this point..." Korrina's and Riolu's eyes widened when they saw Naruto and Pancham hop up to the sill of the open window that lay behind them.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Au revoir, mon cheri." Naruto bowed his head and Pancham hopped on top of it. With a mock salute, he then proceeded to step back and fall from the two-story height. Korrina and Riolu rushed to the window and looked down, only for their surprise and fear to quickly become anger and annoyance when they saw the blonde boy and his panda-like Pokemon leaping off a feather mattress that was obviously planted there. She hated him, but the girl had to admit that Naruto was very prepared for his quick escape.

Naruto turned back and offered her another mocking bow before laughing. "Those two will never catch us. Aura tracker or not." Pancham giggled cutely atop its partner's head as the blonde turned into an alleyway, only to suddenly stop when Korrina skidded to a halt, her rollerblades kicking up the small amount of loose pebbles on the road as she did so.

"Damn it, she's got wheels." He gritted his teeth before running out of the alley and switched to a new pathway, only for Riolu to drop down with a Force Palm at the ready. Naruto backpedaled in alarm and was sent rolling when a small shockwave was released from the impact, cracking the stone. "Are you trying to kill me?!" He shouted as he turned tail once more.

He continued to run through the alleys, which he knew like the back of his hand. However, it seemed that Riolu's aura tracking and Korrina's roller blades were proving to be quite the adversaries as everywhere he turned, he was forced to spin around and find a new path. He even tried to fleeing to the rooftops, but Riolu was quick to make him go back to ground zero. He tried to escape within the crowds in the main area of Shalour City, but this just made it easier for Korrina to chase after him as people were quick to part ways for roller bladers.

He quickly ducked between an alley, hopped a fence, stole someone's bike for a little more than ten seconds, stole some more food and drinks from a shack to recuperate, literally jumped through hoops when a street performer was having her Hondour jump through a a series of hoops, and then climbed to the rooftops before climbing back down when he reached the edge of the city which led to the beach.

"Damn it." He hissed as he leaped down the steps, rolling on the sands when he landed on the beachfront. He then smirked when he saw Korrina and Riolu were no longer behind him, or anywhere else in fact. He looked up at Pancham and grinned. "Lost 'em."

"Pancham." The Fighting-type sighed in relief as well. Naruto then ran across the sands and made a quick hiding spot out of one of the small cliffs that outlined the city.

"So buddy, where will we make our new hideout?" The blue-eyed boy asked. The small Pokemon glanced around with wide black eyes before they brightened in realization.

"Cham Cham Pancham Cham!" Crying out excitedly, Pancham pointed across the sand pathway that led to the Tower of Mastery.

"The Tower? Pancham, I don't know. It's kind of out in the open and not to mention it's pretty far from the city. We'll be making runs back and forth to get out supplies."

"RIO!" The bark of the miniature Aura Pokemon echoed across the air. Naruto and Pancham turned, their blue and black eyes, respectively, widening upon meeting the crimson and gray ones of their 'foes'.

"THERE HE IS!"

"Ugh, girlie just doesn't give up." Naruto huffed. "Fine, we'll hide out in the Tower of Mastery." Hopping to his feet, Naruto quickly sped off across the sands and climbed the stairs. He huffed, puffed and wheezed when he slammed his back against the heavy wooden doors. His rolled his eyes when Korrina and Riolu were quick to meet them.

"Damn you're fast." Naruto huffed.

"Not too bad yourse-" Korrina shook her head before pointing accusingly at her fellow blonde. "Stop trying to distract me. Look, you're cornered and I didn't want anything else from you other than my money! Just gimme it back so I can buy my food for me and my grandpa, Lucario and Riolu and then you can go!"

"No!" Naruto hugged his backpack to his chest as he slung it off his back. "I need that money to survive!"

"So do I!"

"Coming from the girl who can afford to have roller blades?! Yeah, sure." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Unlike you, I actually NEED money because I literally have nothing! Pancham and I need to live, and I live on the streets with 'im, so I need this money! I need to steal! What don't you understand?!"

Korrina was about to reply when the massive wooden doors opened. Naruto fell backwards and groaned when he fell onto his back, but just as he was about to complain and curse at whoever it was that caused his pain, he was silenced as he and Pancham were slowly picked up off the ground by Gurkinn's Lucario. Naruto and Pancham gulped in fear as the gleaming red eyes of the Aura Pokemon stared into their own eyes, the power rolling off the Pokemon in waves.

"What's going on here?" Gurkinn spoke roughly as he looked between Korrina, Riolu, Naruto and Pancham. "Who are you?"

"That's the guy grandpa! Remember, I told you, he was the stupid head who stole my money."

Gurkinn bit back to the urge to tell his granddaughter that he hadn't understood a word from the ten year old's rant, but he chose to just nod. A smart choice. "I see...so you're the ruffian whose stealing from the shopkeepers in town, along with my granddaughter."

"Granddaughter? But you're Gurkinn, the old guy who knows a lot of stuff 'bout important stuff and lives in the Tower and is rich and..." Naruto paused when he looked back and forth between Korrina and Gurkinn, realization dawning upon him. He gulped audibly. "I messed up, didn't I?"

"Oh, you have no idea, young man." Gurkinn's eyes burned fiercely as he glared at the boy who dared to bother his pride and joy. "And that gulp was nowhere near audible enough to represent the amount of fear that I will instill within your very soul." Gurkinn then walked inside, Lucario still holding its new captives as it followed the large eyebrowed trainer. Korrina and Riolu smirked in satisfaction as they followed after the Mega Evolution Guru and his partner Pokemon.

Lucario dropped the duo roughly down on the ground in front of the statue of the Mega Lucario. Naruto and Pancham stared in awe at the inside of the architectural marvel that was the Tower of Mastery, but they were quickly knocked out of their stupor when Gurkinn and Lucario stood before them, glaring down at them.

"So, what is your name, boy?" Gurkinn asked.

"N-Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Pancham." The Playful Pokemon fearfully raised a paw as it identified itself.

"Well then, Naruto Uzumaki and Pancham...why did you take the money that I gave my granddaughter? She needed it to buy groceries and I highly doubt a ten year old such as yourself, stealing from another ten year old, would require the need to take that money."

"Actually old man..." He gulped at the glare. "...I mean ummm sir, mister Gurkinn of amazing-ness sir...I'm an orphan. I don't have anyone to turn to except Pancham and I literally have nothing except for a bit over 2000 Poke in my bank."

"Your bank."

"Uh huh." Naruto zipped open the orange backpack and showed the elderly man his jar of coins. "With the money I...stole...from girlie..."

"Korrina!" Naruto ignored the girl's correction.

"...I now have a bit over 5000. I need the money to keep living."

There was a period of silence as Gurkinn looked over the dirty form of Naruto Uzumaki and his Pancham. Naruto and Pancham fidgeted as they were being judged by the elderly guru, trying in vain to meld with the stone of the Mega Lucario statue when Gurkinn and Lucario stepped towards them. Naruto hugged Pancham to his chest and flinched when Gurkinn's iron grip held him, only for his eyes to widen as he was pulled to his feet.

"Huh?"

"Pancham?"

"You say you need the money to keep living. However, you have both been a bit of a menace to society and I care very, very deeply for my granddaughter. You have stolen from the people of this City and thus have indirectly harmed my family..."

"His Pancham hit me with an Arm Thrust attack, grandpa!" Gurkinn's fury spiked and Naruto and Pancham comically ducked behind their feeble defense of a backpack. Gurkinn breathed to calm himself, but the rage remained in his eyes. "Alright then...you did directly harm her when your Pancham used Arm Thrust on her. So, rather than just letting you go without consequence, I will instead make you repent for your actions, starting with your acts of thievery. Each day, every day, you will be required to stay here in the Tower of Mastery, in which you will clean and wash the Tower, as well as apologizing to all the people you stole from."

Gurkinn's face then shifted slightly, adopting a less frightening but still authoritative visage, "As for the matter of your actions towards my granddaughter, it's clear that you are in need of disciple and structure, thus you will also take education and battle training with Korrina."

"GRANDPA!"

"I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL?!"

"SILENCE!"

The two children flinched at Gurkinn's words, wisely remaining silent once more.

"Yes, you will be required to go to school, young Naruto. These lessons are carried out by me personally, so you cannot get out of them. Of course If you wish to go back out into the streets and live a life of a thief once more, I will not stop you from leaving...but I will contact children's services who will then proceed to take you in and strip you of your freedom seeing as you are quite free-spirited person who does not like to be chained down."

"That...That's true, I guess." Naruto agreed, though he was a bit shocked from how quickly the old man had profiled him.

"So I suggest you take my offer. Understood?"

Naruto looked to Pancham and Pancham looked back to Naruto. Blue and black eyes stared at each other as if having a silent conversation before they nodded.

"Fine."

"Cham."


	2. Chapter 2

True to his word, Gurrkin had made Naruto and Pancham go back to the Pokemon Mart and the various food related shops they had stolen from, made them apologize for what they had done and then made them help the shop owners sell their goods so as to make up for the exact amount of money he had taken from them. Of course, the pair were very adamant in not having to apologize, but a glare of Gurrkin in conjunction of a reminder of what he would do should they continue to be disobedient made them quickly comply with their benefactor's words.

"Ha Ha! You have to help them, nyah!"

"Rio Rioru!"

Naruto and Pancham could have done without the annoyingly repetitive sing-song voices of Korrina and Riolu. Each day, every day, after her training and schooling, Korrina and Riolu would track him down to whichever shopkeeper he had been helping for the day and then proceed to sing the same annoying phrase.

'She's Gurrkin's granddaughter. He'll kill you if you punch her face in. She's Gurrkin's granddaughter. He'll kill you if you punch her face in.' That was the mantra the former vagrant had so that he wouldn't punch the gray eyed girl's face in. Pancham had a similar thought process regarding Riolu as it was shown that Lucario was extremely protective of Riolu, especially considering that the young Pokemon was Lucario's son.

The Playful Pokemon remembered the first day when it lashed out as Riolu with an Arm Thrust. Pancham shuddered. Power-Up Punch attacks hurt like hell when used by an experienced Pokemon.

It was a good thing Naruto had quite a way with words in order to help swindle his customers. Despite his rather loud and brash persona, Naruto was pretty intelligent as he was good with numbers, especially when it came to finances. In a matter of days, he had managed to work of his debts to the shop keepers as well as make a profit for them since, being a ten year old with a tiny panda of a Pokemon beside him, he was able to use his own acts of cuteness to make the more stupid and gullible customers pay more than they should. Suckers.

However, with that out of the way, the remainder of his time was spent going to 'school' and doing his chores of the day.

"Ha Ha! You have to learn!"

"Ha Ha! You have to clean!"

Naruto was glad that for a lot of the evening he and Pancham were able to undergo some more physical training with Gurrkin as the boy and his Pokemon needed an outlet for the constant berating they had to deal with from the gray eyed trainer and her Riolu. If it weren't for the fighting, they were sure they would go insane or eventually snap and kill the poor girl. However, there were times when he did snap and butt heads with Korrina, both literally and figuratively. The same occurring with Pancham and Riolu.

Gurrkin and Lucario did their jobs to break up the fights, punishing Naruto and Pancham for reacting to her jeers.

And so...this was the daily life of Naruto Uzumaki and Pancham.

"Damn it."

He had been cleaning since sunrise as per the rude awakening by his benefactor, Gurrkin. The Mega Evolution Guru made sure that Naruto was up to make up for all the wrong doings he had committed since his alleged adoption into the Tower, and for the past few days, Naruto and Pancham had done everything they were supposed to...mainly because Lucario was standing behind him and Pancham, its crimson eyes staring intently at them as they committed their latest task.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he scrubbed at the stone of the Tower of Mastery, Pancham doing the same alongside its partner and trainer. "I washed the damn clothes, I cleaned the damn kitchen, I washed every nook and cranny of this bloody tower without a problem..." He started to grumble before glaring at a specific spot on the stone he was currently cleaning. "SO WHY WON'T YOU DIE, YOU STUPID PIECE OF FILTH!?"

"PANCHAAAA!" Pancham was also doing its best to destroy the immortal spot of dirt.

Lucario sweatdropped at the pair as they rapidly scrubbed at the last step of the spiral staircase, trying in vain to destroy the bane of their existence, the tiny brown spot that would never go away. That single spot of dirt never went away. It was large enough to be visible to the naked eye, yet small enough to be considered negligible to clean. However, days of cleaning and washing turned the pair into neat freaks, developing OCD with regards to things being clean, but no matter how much cleaning solution he used, no matter how much soap he used it just wouldn't go the fuck away!

"AGH! LUCARIO, DO SOMETHING!" The Aura Pokemon raised a non-existent eyebrow, giving Naruto a look as if to say 'And what am I supposed to do?' "I SWEAR SPOT, ONE DAY I WILL GET RID OF YOU!" And with that, Naruto and Pancham stood up and prepared to move on to their academic lessons with Gurrkin. Or so they thought.

"Korrina, no roller blades in the Tower!" Gurrkin roared. Naruto and Pancham stared in horror as Korrina rushed in through the doors, having just completed her morning sparring lessons with her grandfather. As a result, the evil blonde wench was throwing sand and sea water every which way as she left trails of it in her wake. Riolu did the same as it's paws left sandy prints and it's fur dripped sea water everywhere.

Korrina and Riolu then paused as they reached the staircase. "What's wrong with your face?"

"Ri Rioru Ru?"

The pair tilted their heads in confusion when Naruto and Pancham were frantically gesturing to the floor, stammering as their rage and shock prevented them from creating any understandable words.

"You...and the sand and the water...the roller blades...you filthy little...and your mutt...FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS WOMAN, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Naruto finally managed to say a complete and coherent exclamation. He then pointed a finger in her face as he turned to Gurrkin when he walked in through the massive double doors. "Gramps, what the hell is this?! She's leaving filth everywhere and I spent NINE HOURS cleaning the place!"

"Well then it's a good thing you're here then, neh Whiskers?" Korrina giggled as she pinched Naruto's cheeks. Naruto growled as he slapped away her hand.

"Do NOT patronize me, girlie."

"I'm surprise you can even say the word patronize."

"You little..." Words he picked up from the street flooded his mind, but the one suitable for the current situation rushed to the forefront. "You little bitch!"

"NARUTO!" Gurrkin roared angrily, but his anger was met with an equally venomous stare.

"NO!" Naruto swiped his arm through the air for emphasis. "I've been here for an entire month! Each day, every day, I do what I'm supposed to do! I go to your dumb boring classes to learn about crap I'm never going to have to use in every day life! Yeah, sure, the math and the history come into play every now and then, but Arceus damn it, you always ridicule me and make me out like I'm some sort of idiot! I take up with your granddaughter's shit too, I do my work and my chores and in the end, you berate me and fight me! No more!"

Naruto turned to glare at Korrina, the gray eyed girl a bit fearful as she took note of how ferocious he looked. "You. Me. Outside. Now."

Korrina's mild fear was forced down as it shifted to rage. Her adrenalin roared her body summoned it forth, her fists clenching tightly. "Those sound like fighting words."

"They are." He stated immediately.

"Fine." Korrina snapped back.

The two children stomped towards the door, their Pokemon following dutifully behind them.

Lucario and Gurrkin glanced at one another before sighing. He had seen this coming, and it was his fault for letting it reach to this point. Naruto was actually very right in his words. He let Korrina get away with far too much, including picking fights with Naruto and Pancham. The boy and his Pokemon were bound to snap eventually. The fight would be good for them, get them to let off the large amounts of steam that had been built up over the past month.

Korrina and Riolu stood on the sands, glaring at Naruto and Pancham as they faced off. The salty sea breeze blew harshly as it made their hair whip wildly. The two stared at each other intently, but Naruto and Pancham being who they were, took off across the sands. Korrin and Riolu shifted into more stable and professional looking fighting stances.

"Arm Thrust!" Naruto commanded. Pancham took to the front, speeding forward towards Riolu.

"Parry them and then use Force Palm!" Was Korrina's reply. Riolu nodded as Pancham struck forth with its attack.

"PAN! CHAM!" The Playful Pokemon struck forth with two Arm Thrust strikes, but Riolu easily shifted its body, twisting at the him and pushing its arm within Pancham's guard to parry the blows. However, as the pre-evolution of Lucario went to attack with its own attack, Naruto stepped over his Pokemon and lashed out with a strong kick to the small Aura Pokemon's face.

"RI!" Riolu cried out in a mixture of pain and shock.

"Idiot! You don't fight with your Pokemon! Normal people don't do that!" Korrina exclaimed. Naruto reared back his fist as he continued towards the gray eyed successor to the Tower of Mastery.

"Well if you haven't realized it, girlie, I ain't exactly normal!" Naruto roared before sending his punch forth. However, his sapphire orbs were wide when Korrina raised her arm and then slammed her palm against the inside of his arm, deflecting the strike. She then spun on her heels so that her back was now facing her fellow ten year old, grabbing his outstretched arm by its wrist before jamming her hip up against his own.

"HRAH!" With a cry of effort, Korrina utilized her opponent's momentum to fling him over her shoulder and into the sands. Naruto grunted in pain as he lay there, his back paining him from the impact. "What do you think of that, Whiskers?"

"I think...Pancham's Karate Chop will hurt more." He stated. Korrina's eyes widened when she felt movement behind. She whipped around and saw Pancham descending towards her with a glowing hand, its arm raised high into the air.

Riolu quickly leaped into the air and pushed itself further skyward to meet its airborne opponent before rearing back its arm, blue aura flaring around it as it readied a Force Palm attack.

"PAAAAANCHAM!"

"RU!"

Pancham swung its hand down while Riolu shoved its palm at an angle, the two Fighting-type attacks clashing in midair with destructive force to create a powerful shockwave. The two gritted their teeth as they fought for dominance, but found themselves in a stalemate before pushing away from each other. As they fell to the ground, they proceeded to kick their respective enemy trainers in the face.

Naruto and Korrina held their reddened faces in their hands before snarling. "You'll pay for that!" They yelled simultaneously. The four then continued their battle.

Naruto struck with a punch that Korrina blocked by raising a leg before spinning to crash a roundhouse kick to the ribs. He grunted in pain, but rolled with the kick before pushing himself back to his feet and went for a rather wide left hook only for Riolu to speed forth and strike the arm with an upward attack, sending it far off course so that Korrina could then deliver a swift combo consisting of two kick, one aimed for the knee to bring him down before following up with a high kick to the head that made the world spin for a moment. Korrina then spun on her heels and drove the heel of her left foot against the side of Naruto's face, bruising it, and making him roll across the sands.

However, Naruto's durability was shown to be paramount as he once again climbed to his feet and went for an overhead karate chop which Korrina blocked with a raised arm, making the chop strike her forearm area. However, as she held the blond boy at bay, Pancham had been latched onto his back and easily hopped over his shoulder and drove its tiny knee against her face. Despite its small size, the Playful Pokemon was quite strong and so it nearly broke her nose. Pancham then spun and delivered a Karate Chop to the side of her face before sending her flying from two Arm Thrust attacks to the chest. The girl was quickly caught by Riolu before being set down and the Aura Pokemon sped forth and delivered a series of Force Palms to Pancham's stomach and chest before using an upward strike to the chin before it clenched its paw tightly. Golden energy swirled to life around the makeshift fist before it was let loose.

"RIO!" The Power-Up Punch attack nailed Pancham in the face, blood spurting from one of its nostrils and its now burst lip. Time seemed to slow down for the panda-like Pokemon as the force registered with its body before flying off at a rapid pace. Naruto reacted quickly and caught his Pokemon in his arms, skidding backwards as a result.

"You okay, buddy?" Naruto asked. Pancham panted heavily before turning and spitting out a wad of blood and saliva before wiping its mouth.

"Cham." It nodded stiffly. Naruto nodded in approval of his Pokemon's tenacity before they turned to see Korrina coughing as she rose back to her feet, finding the ability to breathe once more. She gripped her nose and with a sickening crack, snapped it back into place. She was tough for a girl, Naruto would give her that. Being on the streets, Naruto was used to seeing what was considered to be the stereotype for girls, people who just wanted to be pretty or played with dolls and what they considered to be cute Pokemon. But Korrina was a fighter, she had spunk and despite everything about her that annoyed him, he respected her strength.

'But I'm still gonna bash her face in.' He thought. Naruto then tore across the sands and lashed out with a jump kick only to have his ankle grabbed by Riolu and was swung through the air. Pancham quickly gripped its trainer's shirt and flipped with the momentum and slammed down on the sands skidding backwards while its shaking arms held Naruto's heavier form above its head.

"To hold him up like that...his Pancham's strong." Korrina muttered.

"Ru Ru." Riolu nodded in agreement.

Naruto quickly removed the load that was his body from Pancham and thanked his Pokemon.

"Karate Chop on the sand!" Pancham raised its glowing paw before crashing it down on the sands. A massive stream of sand was sent flying towards the two other combatants and they were forced to cover their eyes. Naruto and Pancham took advantage of their opponents' lack of visibility and charged forth, rearing back their arms to attack with a punch and Arm Thrust respective. However, Riolu wasn't the Aura Pokemon for nothing. Despite its young age, it was quite gifted in the use of the aura and so utilizing its aura sight, it saw the world as if it were through infra-red goggles, only not so much heat signatures as it was aura signatures.

"Ru!" Riolu snatched Naruto out of the air and proceeded to deliver a Force Palm against his chest to stun him before spinning around to build up momentum. "RIOOOORU!" The Aura Pokemon cried out as it quickly slammed the blond down atop Pancham.

"PANCHA!" The Playful Pokemon cried out in pain as the weight of its trainer was brought down on its body. Riolu then tossed Naruto aside and drove a knee against Pancham's face before throwing it high into the air. Riolu leaped after it and gripped Pancham by its ankles, performing a series of front flips as it fell before throwing Pancham down on the sands. A small crater of sand formed as a result before Riolu reared back its fist, making it shine with golden energy once more.

"RIORU!" The Power-Up Punch crashed down on Pancham's body with terrific force.

"Pan...cham." The Fighting-type Pokemon released a gasp of pain as a few flecks of blood and saliva flew forth from its mouth. Riolu's crimson eye stared down at its opponent, the black eyes of the Playful Pokemon brimming with rage, flinching when Riolu stamped down on its pained chest. Riolu growled at Pancham and the Fighting-type panda growled right back.

"Riiiii."

"Pannnnn-CHA!" Pancham released a sharp cry as Riolu pressed its paw down further on Pancham's body and so the panda-like Pokemon was forced to grit its teeth in agony. Pancham continued to hold its glare, but eventually it gave up, dropping its paws that once tried in vain to pry its opponent's own paws off of its body. Riolu smirked before giving a nod of satisfaction.

Naruto groaned as he climbed back to his feet, shaking his head free of the cobwebs before glancing up. His eyes widened when he saw Riolu standing over his downed partner. "PANCHAM!" Naruto's cry of alarm was then replaced with a cry of rage as he then charged towards Korrina as she stared at him. He raced across the sands at his opponent before lashing out with a wild left hook that was easily blocked before he was grabbed by his wrist and had his stomach abused by repetitive knee strikes. However, he tightened his abdominal muscles and reared back his head, taking advantage of their close proximity to deliver the strong headbutt. Korrina was dazed from the strike and was then hit with a strong uppercut to her own abdomen. Her eyes widened in pain as she released a gasp. He may not have had the speed or technique like she had, but he made it up with quick thinking and his higher physical strength.

Korrina stumbled backwards but quickly regained her balance in time to see Naruto go in for another attack. She snarled as then stepped into her fellow blond's guard and drove her elbow into his stomach before raising the joint sharply, crashing it against his chin. She then lashed out with a strong jab with her left arm before following up with a right punch to the ribs. Korrina rose up to her full height and then proceeded to use her greatest weapons. Her legs. With amazing speed and precision for a ten year old girl, Korrina lashed out with a low kick to the ankle and then to the knee, bringing Naruto down to one knee before kicking him in the ribs. He cried out, clutching the pained area, only to have his head snapping back from the quick snap kick that Korrina delivered, the toe of her shoes knocking against his lower jaw with a resounding 'clack'. The gray eyed girl then rotated on her heel before going to drive her heel against his temple to knock him out, but the boy reacted quickly and he was sent rolling as the attack hit his now bruised right forearm.

He pushed himself back to his feet and, utilizing his heavier frame, spear tackled her, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist as he forced her down into the sands before whacking her across the face with a strong punch. Her lip bled and Naruto prepared to deliver a second punch only to be hit in the head by Korrina sitting up and slamming her head against his own. However, that only served to damage them both, but Korrina fought through the pulsing pain in her forehead and proceeded to plant her elbow into Naruto's stomach, driving the wind from his lungs. The roles were then reversed as she flipped him onto his back and straddled him. She then proceeded to deliver a swift series of hook shots, his head snapping right and left from each hit, blood dotting the sand as his lips burst and his teeth cut the inside of his cheeks.

After ten shots, the young girl stopped before climbing back to her feet, panting heavily. She stepped away from Naruto and then Riolu leaped, landing down beside her before tossing Pancham at its trainer like a rag doll.

"Y-You hit harder...than I thought, Whiskers." Korrina panted. "But I'm still better...than you. Always...have been...always...will be."

She and Riolu then turned back slightly when Gurrkin and Lucario were shown to be walking towards them. The Mega Evolution Guru and his partner Pokemon stopped as they stood directly behind their respective kin members before staring down at Naruto and Pancham.

"Are you better now?" Gurrkin asked. "Have you gotten rid of that pent up anger you had?"

Silence reigned supreme as the boy and his Pokemon didn't reply, merely laying down in the sands. A few moments passed as the pair continued to remain silent, but it was broken when Naruto and Pancham steadily climbed back to their feet. They turned and simultaneously spit out a few wads of blood and saliva before their heads snapped up and they glared at Korrina and Riolu.

"I'll admit that you're better than us." Naruto muttered. "But I swear...from this day on, I'm not gonna let it stay that way. We're gonna train and we're gonna train hard! I'll study my work, I'll do my chores and together Pancham and I will learn to fight. We're gonna get stronger and stronger, and I swear that we will one day beat you, girlie. And then...we're comin' for you Gramps."

"Pancha Pancham Cham Pan Pancham Pan!" Pancham uttered its own vow to beat Riolu and then take down Lucario. The two Aura Pokemon stared at the miniature panda with emotionless crimson eyes.

"Those are big words from someone who's now laying defeated." Gurrkin replied. "You've literally been beaten bloody and you showed possibly the least amount of fighting skill that I have seen in a young boy in a long while. What makes you think you can beat me and my Lucario, let alone my granddaughter and her Riolu?"

"Because I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I never go back on my word! Believe it!"

"PANCHAM!"

Everyone's eyes widened in fascination and amazement at the conviction and ferocity behind the boy's words. His azure eyes burned with determination and righteous fury, Pancham holding the same gaze in its coal coloured orbs. Gurrkin then nodded and turned around.

"Then you best prepare yourself. Once your wounds have healed, you will receive no mercy from me in your training and studies, boy."

"Bring it, Gramps!"

"PANCHA!"

Gurrkin nodded before he and Lucario began to head back to the Tower of Mastery. Korrina and Riolu followed after the older pair and the young girl looked to her grandfather in confusion.

"Grandpa, why are you smiling?"

"The boy and his Pancham, they have heart and drive. A determination that impresses me. I'm just very amused to think about what he might become now that he is about to receive proper instruction in the art of battle. I feel he may be able to back up his words one day."

"And beat me and Riolu?" Korrina blew a raspberry. "As if."

"Ri Ru." Riolu huffed indignantly. Lucario merely rolled its eyes at the young pair before glancing back at Naruto and Pancham as they were still glaring at their backs. The Aura Pokemon continued to hold the stare for a few moments before turning back.

* * *

Five Years Later- Tower of Mastery

The moon cast its silvery glow across the sands and the sea that surrounded the architectural marvel that was the Tower of Mastery. Even after five years, the tower remained as strong and tall as it was the day it was built, and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town could only stare in amazement, just like many before him.

Korrina walked alongside Lucario as she led her new challenger and his companions to the rooms they would be staying in for the night. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, Dedenne and Bonnie all followed the older trainer across the floor of the base floor before climbing the spiral staircase.

"Bonnie, Serena, your room is the one directly after mine. Ash and Clemont, yours will the one directly after the girls' room."

"Thanks." Ash smiled up at the fifteen year old girl. "And thanks for letting us stay the night here before our battle tomorrow."

"It's no problem." Korrina smiled back at Ash. "Though, it's still a bit early, only nine o' clock. How about you all come and hang out with me in my room for a bit. I never really get the chance to hang out with other people my age since I was too busy training once I got Lucario."

"Lu." The Aura Pokemon nodded in agreement with its trainer.

"Sure! It'll be like a slumber party!" Bonnie said giddily.

"Dede!"

Everyone rolled their eyes in amusement at the little girl's enthusiasm before following her into Korrina's room once the gray eyed girl pointed it out to them. They began glancing around, admiring the spaciousness of it all.

"So cuuuuute!" Bonnie squealed as she hugged a stuffed Auroros doll.

"You've a got a lot of pictures, Korrina." Serena commented. "You look like you had a fun childhood."

"Sure looks like it. " Ash and Clemont agreed with the brown haired girl's statement as they looked at the pictures that lined the walls. There were a few pictures of Korrina with her grandfather and his Lucario, as well a majority of photos with a younger Korrina smiling alongside her Riolu and then her with it as a Lucario. Bonnie paused and looked at the more elegantly framed photo on the older blonde's nightstand.

"Korrina?" Everyone stopped walking as they looked back at the little girl. "Who's that boy in the picture with you?"

"Dedenne?" The tiny rodent Pokemon tilted its head in confusion along with its childish trainer/friend. Korrina walked over and stood next to Bonnie before looking at the photo in the question. She smiled softly, her confident gray eyes glazing over as nostalgia filled her. She had on a mixture of surprise and giddiness in the photo as she was held in a weak choke hold by Naruto, his mouth open wide as if he were about to literally bite her head off. Riolu stood next to her, but with a panicked expression on its face, reaching over to try and help its trainer, while Pancham was sitting atop the male trainer's head, obviously laughing.

"That Pancham looks so cute! And those whisker marks on the boy's face make him look cute too!" Bonnie's eyes sparkled. She strangely found everything to be cute, said word being her favourite adjective to describe things she liked. Clemont's eyes narrowed at his little sister calling a boy cute, but he did admit that the Pancham did look adorable.

Korrina reached out and gently placed her fingertips against the picture. She tapped Naruto's face with her index finger twice. "That's Naruto. He was...is..." She corrected herself. "...my best friend and my rival. We didn't get along well at first when he first started living with me and Grandpa in the Tower of Mastery, but eventually we achieved an amicable relationship."

"If he was your rival, then does that mean that he's strong?" Ash asked.

Korrina nodded. "Yeah, he was a tough one. I always managed to win in our battles, in fact, the last battle we had was on the day he decided to leave Shalour City."

* * *

Two Years Ago- Tower of Mastery

Korrina and Naruto stared at one another across the sands in front of the Tower of Mastery. The sea breeze was especially rough. The two thirteen year old trainers had grown up since Naruto and Pancham had been staying in said tower. They shot up from being tiny children to being above average teenagers in terms of height, standing at 5'4 and 5'5 respectively, Korrina being the taller of the two and something that the girl would not let him live down.

"So you think you'll be able to manage to beat me this time around, short stuff?" Naruto's eye twitched and his rage spiked.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT SO TINY HE CAN ONLY BE SEEN BY A MAGNIFYING GLASS, YOU JERK!" Korrina giggled as she was always was amused when Naruto reacted to her nicknames when it came to his height. It was one of the few pleasures she was able to indulge in.

"Alright, Riolu, let's show short stuff why he shouldn't mess around with his superiors."

"Ru." The Emanation Pokemon gave a 'come at me bro' motion with its paw. Both Naruto and Pancham had their veins bulging on their foreheads as they glared at their respective rivals.

"Pancha Cham Pan!" Pancham then raised its middle paw-finger. Apparently humans thought it was a form of vulgarity, so Pancham used it numerous times when it was angered by Riolu.

"Pancham, let's go!"

The rowdy pair then took off towards Riolu and Korrina, the two shifting into identical fighting stances in sync. Pancham skidded on the sands and then delivered a Karate Chop to the ground, kicking up a large cloud of sand to blind them, but Riolu merely closed its eyes, easily seeing through it with its aura sight. Riolu slammed its palm upwards and hit Pancham in the chest with a Force Palm attack.

The Playful Pokemon gritted its teeth, but Riolu's eyes widened when it saw Pancham lashed out and gripped its wrist in its paws before wrapping its legs around Riolu's forearm and lower arm. Pancham then twisted its body and earth met sky as Riolu suddenly found itself being flipped in the air before crashing down on the sands, its arm locked.

"PAN!" Pancham turned to Naruto and the blond male was already in position, his leg raised high into the air to deliver the axe kick to Riolu's elbow in order to break the limb. However, as the axe kick descended, Korrin rotated on her heels before swinging her leg upwards, her foot colliding with Naruto's own. The two limbs shuddered as they held each other at bay, trying in vain to overpower one another.

"So close." He muttered.

"And yet so far." Korrina stated before pushing off of the sands with her other leg and then spinning to crash a roundhouse kick to his lower limb. Naruto spun with the momentum of the strike before picking up a handful of sand and throwing it in her face. Korrina ducked and rolled under it before pushing up through her knees to bounce back up and deliver a swift uppercut that had Naruto stumbling backwards, holding his pained jaw. She then proceeded to twist and kick Pancham harshly in the face, releasing her Pokemon from its grip before the Playful Pokemon was forced to leap away as the Aura Pokemon swiped at it.

"RI!" Riolu performed a cat spring, immediately rushing after its opponent and dealt a Power-Up Punch.

"PAN!" Pancham reared back its own arms and delivered an Arm Thrust attack. The two powerful Fighting-type attacks collided with destructive force, creating a small shockwave that sent them both skidding backwards, away from each other. However, Riolu went with its momentum and went into a backflip. Korrina then lashed out with a spin kick, timing it so her Pokemon's feet would plant themselves against the toe of her shoe.

"Power-Up Punch!" She ordered as she sent her Pokemon careening through the air like a bullet, its paw glowing with golden light.

"RIORU!" The Emanation Pokemon slammed its fist down upon Pancham.

"Cross your arms and use Karate Chop to block it!" Pancham crossed its arms in front of its body and the tiny panda gritted its teeth as its glowing paws held off the strong Power-Up Punch attack. Its legs shook slightly as the force racked its body, traveling to the sands and causing it to indent slightly.

"Push back! Counter with Circle Throw!" Naruto commanded. Pancham nodded and then pushed back against the Power-Up punch before gripping Riolu by the arm.

"PAAAAAANCHAM!" Pancham spun around rapidly before hurling Riolu through the air towards Naruto where the blond's arm was held at the ready. Naruto took a strong step forward and caught Riolu at the throat, preventing its cry of pain from being heard as the lariat scored home. Riolu's body slammed into the sands before it was harshly kicked in the ribs while it was down, sending it rolling into Pancham as the Playful Pokemon then wrapped its arms around Riolu's waist before leaning backwards.

"CHAM!" The Emanation Pokemon was driven into the sands as Pancham performed the suplex move. Korrina sped across the sands and aided her Pokemon, grabbing Pancham by the ankle and then swinging it harshly into the ground. Korrina repeated the motion three more times before tossing Pancham aside to go into a series of backhand springs as Naruto descended from above with the intention of delivering a haymaker punch. A small cloud of sand was kicked up as a result, but he pushed off and followed after his female opponent and delivered two swift, straight jabs.

Korrina shifted her body at the waist, deflecting the attacks to the sides before stepping outside of his third attempt to strike her with a right jab. She parried the attack before stepping forward, position her left leg behind his left leg, before her left hand came up in a claw-like grip, wrapping around his neck. She bent her legs and angled her body as she pushed him, forcing him to trip by her well placed limb from earlier. The take-down attempt was successful, but Naruto immediately angled his head and then proceeded to spit in her face.

"UGH, GROSS!" She shrieked as she immediately went to wipe away the saliva. Naruto smirked as he then placed himself underneath her and dug his knee into her belly, driving the wind from her lungs, before kicking her off. She flipped in the air and would have landed painfully on her back had Riolu not snatched her out of the air just as Pancham had thrown it away with a Circle Throw attack.

Riolu continued to dodge with Korrina in its arms as Pancham chased after it, delivering crater forming Arm Thrust attacks on all of its former locations. Pancham then reared its arms back and forcefully slammed them down on the sands, sending a streak of pure force across the area and it made contact with Riolu and Korrina, sending them both skidding backwards.

Naruto then picked up Pancham and threw it with terrific force. "Use Karate Chop to the forehead to stun them! Then use Arm Thrustand choke slam them!"

"CHAM!" Pancham's arms snapped forward as it reached its location and its paws glowed with a brightly silvery-white light, the Karate Chop attack scoring home and nailing the in the forehead. A visible bruise appeared on both foreheads, and they were stunned by the blinding pain. Thus, Pancham took the opportunity to strongly wrap its paws around both Pokemon's and Pokemon trainer's throats, slamming them into the ground with terrific force. The two released choked cries of pain, a bit of blood escaping their lips as a result.

"Riolu...Copycat." Korrina gasped out. Riolu's eyes snapped open as a golden glow formed around its body.

"RU!" The crimson eyed Pokemon then lashed out with a strong Arm Thrust attack and sent Pancham tumbling through the air, but it landed deftly atop Naruto's shoulder. Korrina and Riolu released gasps and coughs before spitting out the little bits of blood left in their mouths.

"You've gotten better, Whiskers."

"Or maybe you've gotten weaker, girlie."

"As if!"

"Then prove it!"

"I will!" Korrina snapped. "Riolu, aura step and then use Power-Up Punch and Force Palm!" Riolu's crimson eyes glowed blue as the power of the Aura flooded its body. An azure aura then sprung forth from the Emanation Pokemon's body. Pancham's dark coloured eyes narrowed as it hopped off of Naruto's shoulder and steeled its form.

"Ru." Riolu then took a single step...and then vanished from view. A single cloud of sand was all that was left before Riolu seemed to have reappeared out of nowhere. A streak of sand then appeared, marking its swift path and Pancham and Naruto both had their eyes wide with shock when Riolu was standing right in front of its fellow Fighting-type.

"Pancha?!"

"What the hell?!"

"RI!" The Playful Pokemon reacted surprisingly quickly despite the close proximity, but its was easily knocked aside when the Power-Up Punch collided with the Karate Chop attack. The glowing golden paw continued onwards and drove itself into Pancham's chest, knocking the wind out of its lungs and making the smaller Pokemon cough up a glob of blood and saliva. A Force Palm attack followed after and the pulse of aura emanating from the attack had Pancham spiraling through the air before it crashed down on the ground unconscious.

Naruto was in such a state of shock that he didn't notice Korrina was within his guard until it was too late. She grabbed his arm and spun around so her back was facing him before jamming her hip against his own, forcing him to his tip-toes.

"HYAH!" Korrina flung Naruto over her shoulder and slammed him into the sands, his back exploding into a world of pain from the impact. She then dropped down and pressed her knee against his throat, applying pressure. Naruto struggled in vain to free himself, but darkness was beginning to creep at the corners of his vision.

'Damn it.' He thought. With an internal sigh of defeat, he patted the sands twice, signifying his choice to yield.

"Alright!" Gurrkin's voice rang out. Korrina stood back to her feet, removing her joint from her opponent's throat in the process and allowing him to breathe once more. Riolu walked over to the three humans and its father, Pancham being supported against its shoulder. Both blondes turned to the Evolution Guru and his Lucario alongside their damaged Pokemon.

"You've fought well, Naruto and Pancham, but it's obvious you still have a lot of work to do before you can catch up to my granddaughter and Riolu." Gurrkin said, but then a deep frown formed on his face, Naruto and Pancham bearing equally deep frowns on their faces. Korrina and Riolu felt the afterglow of their victory melt away into nothing as they glanced back and forth between her rival and her grandfather.

"Grandpa...what's going on?"

"Your things are prepared, Naruto. Just as you asked."

"Thanks, Gramps."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Gurrkin asked. "With your community service tasks finally being completed, and your basic education for a person of your age being practically over and done with, Lucario and I can get to doing some more advanced fighting with you and Pancham."

"Hold up! Whiskers, what's going on with you two?! What do you mean your things are prepared?!" Korrina exclaimed. Naruto sighed heavily before turning to his gray eyed friend, a serious look on his face.

"Pancham and I...we're..." He took a shaky breath and gulped as he forced down the lump in his throat. "...we're leaving the Tower of Mastery."

"RIO?!"

"WHAT?!"

Riolu and Korrina looked at their rivals in shock.

"Why?!"

"Look, girlie, you wouldn't understand. It's complicated."

"Then make me understand, damn it!" Korrina snapped. "Simplify it for me! Why do you and Pancham have to go?!"

"BECAUSE WE'RE WEAK!" Naruto roared.

"PANCHAM PAN!"

Korrina and Riolu took simultaneous steps back in surprise. "Wh-What are you talking about? Whiskers...Naruto, I know you're not weak. Sure, I poke fun at you by saying you are, but you're not."

"Yes, I am, Korrina." Naruto replied, his sapphire orbs stared directly into her own light gray ones. "Korrina, listen to me, I've never said this to you before, but you're my best friend. Actually, you're my only friend. But ever since I started taking our rivalry seriously, when I lost to you for the first time three years ago, I always felt that I could never stand by you as an equal. You're better than me in everything, you're smarter, you're a better fighter, you're a better Pokemon trainer..." Naruto chuckled softly. "I never realized it until now, but you really are an amazing person."

"Stop beating around the bush." Korrina said. "You're not making any sense."

"I want to be your equal. I want to be the guy that can stand next to you and say I am worthy to be your rival."

"I've never felt that way because there was always a part of me that kept showing me the reality of what I am. I'm just some kid Gramps picked up off the street because I happened to steal your wallet. You and Gramps, you've taught us a lot, but I want to prove that I can stand on my own two feet. I'm leaving the very next day, and you probably won't see me and Pancham when we leave since we aren't exactly people for goodbyes."

"You idiot!" Korrina wrapped Naruto in a tight hug. Her emotions burst forth and tears streamed down her face as she held onto him like a lifeline. "You're the only person I've ever met who I could legitimately call my friend and my rival! You've always been worthy to be those things to me! You've always been worthy in my eyes! So stay here! You don't have to go anywhere! Don't go and stay with me damn it! Just stay!"

"That may be your opinion, but not to me." Naruto stated, but then a wide grin spread across his face as he gazed at the slightly taller girl. "Besides, it's not like I'm leaving forever. I promise to you, Korrina, I'll be back once Pancham and I think we've done enough training and that we've gotten good enough to stand on equal ground with you."

Korrina sniffed before letting him go. "Y-Y-You...pr-promise?"

"Promise of a lifetime."

* * *

"And it's been two years since then." Korrina said with a deep frown. "Whiskers hasn't even stayed in touch after all this time. He didn't even send a letter." Lucario patted its trainer on the arm, said trainer smiling softly to her Pokemon in thanks for its emotional support.

The room was in period of silence as the group had no idea what to say at this point. I mean, what do you say to a person whose best friend left to go travel and never even sent you a letter to say they were okay, let alone just a friendly hello? The deafening silence was quickly ruined however as the deafening wail of the alarm echoed throughout the tower.

Everyone jumped to their feet and immediately raced out the door.

"What was that?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pikachu!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon glanced around as the alarm began to die down. Lucario's crimson eyes narrowed before it pointed up at the statue of the Mega Lucario.

"LU!" The group and their Pokemon followed the Aura Pokemon's paw and gazed on in shock when they saw the three members of Team Rocket hanging from the statue's snout, trying not to fall and break their bodies. Eventually, the annoying trio secured their safety as they climbed back up.

"Team Rocket!" Ash growled out. "What do you think you're doing?!" Gurrkin and his own Lucario burst out of their room and looked up at Team Rocket with shock written across their faces. With their sharp eyes, they saw what Meowth was holding in its paw.

"The Mega Evolution scroll!" Gurrkin shouted before glaring at them. "Give that back before I am forced to take it back from you!" The Mega Evolution Guru prepared to tap the Mega Stone on his wrist, but the trio mainly laughed cockily.

"You think you can take it back from us?! Well then, you best...Prepare for trouble!" Jessie declared.

"And make it double!" James followed.

"To protect the world from-"

"FUCK YOU!" Everyone present in the Tower of Mastery snapped their heads in the direction of the voice that dared to utter such a vulgar phrase. However, a massive shadow distracted them and their heads followed its path. The massive figure crashed down in front of Team Rocket and the trio gulped in fright as the shadowed figure rose up to its full height, towering over them like some sort of goliath.

"GOROOOOO!" The massive form was a large bipedal Pokémon, resembling a humanoid panda bear. It had a stocky build with a round belly, short legs and long arms with large paws, which were currently balled into fists. Its head and belly were covered in thick white fur, while its lower body, chest, arms, and back were covered in equally thick but dark grey fur. A long fringe of this dark grey fur hung down behind its back that, in combination with the rest of the dark-furred pattern, gave the impression that it was wearing a longcoat and trousers. The Pokemon's three-fingered paws had shorter fur a darker shade of grey than the overcoat and were tipped with vicious black claws. Its face tapered down to a snout and its white color contrasted with its black ears and nose as well as the two semi-circles of black fur under its brow that render its eyes indistinguishable. In its mouth, the massive Pokemon carried a thin leaved shoot in its mouth, which had prominent lower fangs.

The trio of thieves were paralyzed with fear for a moment, but managed to shake off the terror for a moment, "Hey you Twerp, you can't just interrupt us like that, we didn't get a chance to finish the Team Rocket Motto."

"You guy are clearly trying to rob this place and you honestly think I'm gonna give you time to recite some stupid motto?! Why the heck would I do that?!"

"GORO"

Jesse and James didn't know how to respond to the question, clearly caught off guard and feeling a sense of dread as the Pangoro closed in on them, cracking it's knuckles in anticipation.

"We...Um...well, because we always get to say the motto," James muttered out lightly.

The Pangoro clearly didn't look amused as it grabbed the scroll from Jessie's hands and then batted away the three like they were rag dolls. The three tumbled through the air before they crashed down on the ground in a heap groaning in pain. The Pangoro then proceeded to slam down on the ground and pick them up by their ankles and swing them up and back down into the ground, painfully. Bones were no doubt broken as the motion was repeated numerous times.

"Goro." The massive panda of a Pokemon snarled before tossing them aside.

"'Atta boy, Pangoro."

"Pan."

The group of trainers and their Pokemon then ran down the stairs to meet the new arrivals, Korrina and Lucario skating on the railing of the spiral staircase before they skidded to a stop. Korrina and Gurrkin along with their respective Lucario all gazed in shock when they looked at the trainer who stood beside his Pangoro.

"Gramps, Korrina, Lucario and...oh, well I guess you finally evolved Riolu after all these years." A wide foxy grin spread across the face of one Naruto Uzumaki.

Spiky blond hair had grown slightly longer and even more untamed than before when he was thirteen. His eyes still sparkled like sapphires and held that childish light of mischief and trickery he always had as a child.

His attire consisted of a faded black, three-fourths-length, hooded leather jacket with red interior linings and flame designs along the arms, a skintight, dark orange tee-shirt, black fingerless gloves, black faded jeans, and steel-toed, black combat boots that had metal soles. Along with that, his right arm also appeared to be wrapped heavily with bandages, though whether he was injured badly or if it was for style, that was unknown.

"No...No way..." Korrina muttered.

"Naruto...is...is that really you?" Gurrkin asked. Naruto's grin expanded as he gestured to himself.

"In the flesh, Gramps." Naruto replied, only to then gain a confused look on his face as he turned back to his childhood friend. "Oi, Korrina? You okay?" Korrina's head was bent low, her bangs shadowing her eyes as her body trembled. Her fists clenched tightly before she snapped her head up, her gray eyes burning with feminine fury. She quickly flipped out her roller blades from the bottom of her shoes and sped across the floor, Lucario in tow, before she went high and Lucario went low.

Korrina performed a series of front flips in midair before swinging her leg down in the form of a strong ax kick to bring down on Naruto's skull, while Lucario skidded across the floor and delivered a swift uppercut to Pangoro's belly. However, the two responded quickly as Pangoro tightened its abdominal area and took the uppercut head on, while Naruto's bandaged fist tightened before it was let loose in the form of a strong straight punch.

Korrina and Lucario quickly leaped back and glared at Naruto and Pangoro.

"Hey, guys what do you think you're doing?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika Pika!"

"Yeah, aren't you guys supposed to be friends?!" Serena asked. "You guys shouldn't be fighting!"

The four combatants continued to stare intensely at one another, but the tension suddenly vanished if it were never there.

"Whiskers!"

"Luca!"

The Fighting-type Gym Leader and her partner ran up to their respective rivals. Pangoro and Lucario bumped paws while Korrina hugged her friend tightly.

"Lu Luca Lu." Lucario patted its chest before pointing at Pangoro. The Dark/Fighting-type Pokemon gave a fanged smirk before pounding its fist against its chest and abdomen before flexing its biceps.

"Pan Goro." It growled out with pride, glad to hear that its rival was impressed with its durability.

Korrina released Naruto from her hug before looking him up and down, only for her eyes to widen in shock as she raised her hand to her head and then found herself having to adjust it at an upward angle to reach the top of his. "You got taller, Whiskers!"

"It's been two years, Girlie." Naruto chuckled. "You didn't think I'd stay short forever, did you?"

"I don't know." She frowned. "I kinda liked teasing you for your height, you little runt."

"WHO YOU CALLIN' SO SMALL THAT HE CAN'T EVEN REACH THE DOORKNOB TO GET INSIDE A HOUSE?!" He roared. He blinked in confusion as Korrina laughed at his exclamation. The gray eyed girl smiled up at her friend.

"I really missed you, Naruto." She said with a tone that told of her honesty. "It's to have you back."

"It's to be back, Korrina." Naruto said. "And I can't wait for us to battle. Pangoro and I need to show you how strong we've gotten."

"We should totally battle!" Korrina said excitedly, but then she looked to Ash and the others in shock. "OH! Shit, I forgot! Naruto, this my newest challenger since I became Gym Leader, Ash Ketchum. He's from Pallet Town in the Kanto region, and the others are his friends, Serena, Clemont, and Clemont's little sister, Bonnie."

"Yo." Naruto waved to them casually.

"Goro." The massive Pokemon also greeted them with a casual wave.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto." The group replied.

"Pika Pika!"

"Dedenne!"

Ash however, quickly turned to the downed Team Rocket for a moment, "Before we forget, we'd better deal with Team Rocket. Pikachu, Thunderbolt."

"Pika" the little mouse nodded it's head as it's cheeks began to spark, but Naruto quickly tapped Ash on the shoulder, "Um, their already unconscious and aren't going anywhere, there's really no need to shock them."

"Yeah, but we've dealt with these guys before and this situation usually ends with us shocking them and blasting them off into the distance."

Naruto gapped slightly at the answer, "Uh, not to question your logic, but wouldn't call the Police just be easier, they could arrest them and send them to jail so that they never show up again."

Like with Jesse and James, the group looked as though they'd been slapped in the face by Naruto's response, having a hard time comprehending the obvious logic in what he said.

"Wow, why didn't we think of that?" Clemont spoke for the group, still wrapping his head around how obvious the answer was.

Gurrikin quickly produced some rope and bound up the would-be thieves, "I'll give Officer Jenny a call, she should be able to come by tomorrow and deal with this three."

Ash's eyes quickly grew in excitement, "Great, then that means we can have our Gym Battle tomorrow, right Korrina?"

However, Korrina, quickly processing all that had happened, skated up to Ash and held his hands tightly as a pleading look came on her face. "Ash, I'm really, really sorry, but Lucario and I really wanna battle Naruto and Pangoro tomorrow. So, please, can we reschedule our match for another day?"

"What?" Ash's eyes widened in surprise. "But...my match...and the gym badge..." He then turned when Serena jabbed her elbow against his ribs. He winced as he held his now pained side before flinching at the glare his female friend gave him. The hat wearing trainer sighed, but then nodded his head. "Alright, we can battle after you battled Naruto...but I still don't like it." He muttered under his breath.

"Great!" Korrina beamed as she turned back to Naruto and Pangoro. "Battle tomorrow, right after breakfast!"

"You'll be shocked to see how far we've come, girlie." Naruto smirked. "Believe it."

* * *

The Next Day- Shalour City Gym

The sun shone high in the sky as the combatants were all set in the Shalour City gym. After having called the Police Department to arrest the unconscious trio of Team Rocket, taking them to jail for their crimes against the city, everyone had had a pleasant night's rest and were all pumped for the battle between Naruto and Korrina.

The two childhood friends and their respective partner Pokemon stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, adrenalin rushing through their bodies as the excitement began to get to them.

"This is a battle between Naruto Uzumaki and Shalour City Gym Leader, Korrina!" Gurrkin announced as he took his position on the side of the battlefield.

"You ready, girlie?" Naruto asked. Korrina cracked her neck with a harsh twist.

"Bring it on, Whiskers."

Gurrkin raised his arms into the air before swinging them down. "Let the battle begin!"

"This is a three-on-three battle, Naruto." Korrina said as she crossed her arms. "Do you have any other Pokemon with you?"

"Nope." Naruto shook his head. "But I won't need any other than Pangoro."

"You always got your ass handed to you when we were kids. I think it'll take more than just one Pokemon to take me down now that I'm a fully accomplished gym leader."

"We're not kids anymore, Korrina." Naruto replied evenly. "And if you're feeling that confident in your skills as a trainer and a gym leader...well, then you have nothing to fear." Korrina raised an eyebrow at Naruto's reply, feeling a bit uneasy at his bravado and confidence. His felt genuine, like Ash's, not like some of her previous challengers who proceeded to be thoroughly destroyed before she could even send out Lucario. The blonde shrugged. If that was the way he wanted it...

"Meinfoo, I choose you!"

"Pangoro, show 'em what you got!"

The Pokeball from Korrina soared through the air before snapping open. A burst of white light flooded forth before it twisted and morphed, solidifying into the shape of the kung-fu using Pokemon.

"First match, Pangoro versus Meinfoo!" Gurrkin announced. "Fight!"

"Meinfoo, use Quick Attack to get in close and then use Force Palm!" Korrina commanded.

"Foo!" The small Fighting-type sped across the battlefield, moving in a zig-zag pattern in order to confuse the larger Pokemon. Pangoro didn't move an inch however, as the streak of colour that was the speedy Pokemon suddenly appeared in its field of vision. Meinfoo reared back its palm before letting it fly. However, Pangoro quickly bent its knees and took on a horse stance and pushed its abdominal muscles forward. Meinfoo's eyes widened as its attack was repulsed with little to no effort. Pangoro then struck with a tiger claw strike, striking Meinfoo on the head and driving its face harshly into the ground with enough force to crack it.

Pangoro then picked up the beaten Pokemon and tossed it back at Korrina, the smaller Pokemon landing unconscious at its trainer's feet.

 _'So fast.'_ Everyone thought in surprise as they looked at the smirking duo of Korrina's challengers. Ash and his friends were all watching from the balcony area above the battlefield and were in awe at what they just witnessed.

"Wow." Bonnie and Serena gaped in amazement.

"Such a quick ending." Clemont stated as he adjusted his glasses, blinking rapidly to see if maybe he needed to get a new prescription to make sure what he saw was indeed real.

"That Pangoro is really strong, huh Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika." The small Electric-type nodded in agreement.

"Impressive. He capitalized on the high levels of physical durability and strength Pangoro had as a Pancham, and so it became even stronger upon evolving. With a high muscle density, it would be able to push back Meinfoo's Force Palm and then use its already great strength to end the match in one blow." Gurrkin muttered to himself. "Nicely done, Naruto. Nicely done."

A red beam of energy then stretched out from the centre button of the Pokeball, returning Meinfoo's body to the capturing device. Placing it back in her pocket, Korrina took out her second Pokemon.

"Alright, well if speed won't beat Pangoro, then I'll see what some extra power can do. Machoke, let's go!"

"Ma Choke!" The powerful and muscular Pokemon flexed its biceps as it stood on the battlefield.

"Power-Up Punch attack!" Korrina ordered. Machoke thundered across the battlefield with its arm reared back. Its hand clenched into a tight fist as a golden glow encompassed it.

"Maaaaaa-CHOKE!" Machoke skidded to a halt in front of Pangoro before bending its knees and powering through them, performing a strong uppercut.

"Catch it." Naruto stated calmly. Pangoro's clawed paw lashed out and then its fingers wrapped tightly around Machoke's fist as it latched onto the oncoming attack. A powerful shockwave raced out from the point of impact, but Machoke was in shock as the taller Pokemon easily held its fist in its paw. Its arm trembled as it tried in vain to follow through with its attack, but Pangoro's own muscular form kept the attack at bay. Pangoro then dug its claws into Machoke's fist, drawing blood and then forced the arm back, hyper extending the muscles into a painful position.

"Pan!" The Daunting Pokemon roared as it pushed arm down, slamming Machoke into the ground with it before rearing back its free arm and delivered a strong series of punches. Machoke's head snapped side to side, blood dotting the ground as its lips burst from the repeated impacts to the face. Pangoro then raised it's arms high into the air before swinging them down.

"PANGORO!" The Dark/Fighting-type slammed the hammer blow down and struck Machoke in the chest. Ribs cracked and Machoke's eyes widened in pain as it released a silent gasp, the wind being driven from its body. Its eyes then rolled back into his head before it fainted.

"Machoke is unable to battle!" Gurrkin announced. "Pangoro is the winner!"

"Korrina, don't patronize me." Naruto said with a serious expression. "Sending out your cannon fodder is not going to do anything to Pangoro. Send out Lucario already."

"Wow!" Korrina gaped, her gray eyes wide with shock. "You really weren't kidding, you and Pangoro got really strong while you guys were gone."

"Damn straight." Naruto replied.

"Pangoro." The Daunting Pokemon pounded its fist against its chest. Korrina grinned widely at the pair before turning to her partner Pokemon.

"Looks like we got ourselves a challenge, neh Lucario?"

"Lu." The Aura Pokemon smirked as its crimson eyes never left those of its dual type rival. Lucario stepped out onto the battlefield before shifting into a fighting stance. Pangoro took a stable horse stance and raised its fists in a boxing position, creating a tight guard.

"Alright Lucario, let's break that guard like we always do!"

"CAR!" The Aura Pokemon sped across the battlefield before delivering a strong two punch combo to the stomach. Pangoro remained stationary, not even flinching, before it crashed a powerful fist down on the ground, Lucario having dodged it by hopping backwards. Lucario then ran up the extended limb before lashing out with a strong right hook. Pangoro raised a paw and blocked it before blocking the following left hook. However, Lucario quickly moved its arm and latched its paw onto Pangoro's wrist before arching its body and crashing a strong overhead kick down upon the Dark/Fighting-type Pokemon's head. Pangoro gritted its teeth as its head snapped downwards from the blow and Lucario performed a windmill to crash a strong spin kick, driving its heel against Pangoro's temple.

"Gorrrrooooo." Pangoro growled as it turned its head, pushing back against heel.

"Cario!" Lucario spun its body and slammed its knee against the durable Pokemon's cheek. The Daunting Pokemon flinched slightly from the attack, but it easily overcame it and then grabbed Lucario by the leg and swung it harshly into the ground with enough force for Lucario to bounce back into the air.

"PAN!" Pangoro latched its claws around Lucario's throat and choke slammed it, cracking the battlefield from the force of the impact, before delivering two quick and powerful punches to the stomach. Lucario gritted its teeth as its tightened muscle managed to dull the pain, but in the end, it was hurtful.

"Bone Rush!" Korrina ordered. Lucario quickly rolled backwards as Pangoro's hammer strike came crashing down, forming a small crater, before clapping its paws in front of its body. It then parted them and long bone made of aura was generated. Lucario then sped across the battlefield and swung the lengthy aura bone at Pangoro only for the Daunting Pokemon to slap it aside with ease.

"GORO!" The Daunting Pokemon roared and then kicked the Aura Pokemon in the stomach. The Fighting/Steel-type tumbled through the air before landing deftly on its feet, but it didn't remain stationary as it was already racing back towards Pangoro.

Pangoro lashed out with two jabs, but Lucario ducked under the first before swinging its aura bone and smacked the side the larger limb with a noticeable amount of effort. Twirling the bone in its paws to build up momentum, Lucario then swung the Bone Rush attack in an upward arc.

"LUCAR!" The bone struck Pangoro right on the underside of its chin, bringing the lower jaw against its upper one with a resounding 'clack'. Lucario then spun on its feet and struck Pangoro across the right side of its face before jabbing it against Pangoro's stomach.

"Hang tough, Pangoro! Use Dark Pulse!" Naruto ordered. Pangoro tightened its adbominals and repulsed each one of the jabs before slamming its palms down on the ground and unleashed a strong wave of dark energy that slammed against Lucario's body.

"Now follow up with Karate Chop!"

"Block it with your bone!" Korrina cried out. The Aura Pokemon quickly coated its body in the glowing blue energy to reduce the impact from the Dark-type attack before being forced to raise its aura bone as Pangoro brought down a strong Karate Chop attack. The glowing hand-like paw slammed against the Bone Rush attack and Lucario's eyes widened when the Fighting-type move tore through it after only a few seconds of being offered some resistance.

"Gotcha!" Naruto smirked. Korrina smirked right back at him as their eyes met.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" The Fighting-type Gym Leader asked rhetorically. Naruto's eyes widened and Pangoro released a gasp of shock when the aura bone, which had been cleaved in two, suddenly solidified into two smaller bones, one bone being held in each of Lucario's paws. Lucario then hopped around Pangoro.

"LU! CARIO!" The first bone of aura struck against Pangoro's ribs before the Aura Pokemon spun on its heels and whacked Pangoro across the face with the second short bone. Lucario bombarded Pangoro with attacks, the Daunting Pokemon being forced on the defensive as it raised its arms and lashed out with kicks to block and/or parry the oncoming attacks, a few of which managed to break through and deal some damage.

"GORO!" Pangoro reared back its arms and performed a twin Karate Chop attack, but Lucario had quickly ducked between the panda-like Pokemon's arms and snucked in between the space between the limbs before slamming the two small aura bones against them. The arms flew apart giving Pangoro an image as if it were spreading its arm like wings. Lucario then swung the bones of aura against Pangoro's chin and then hopped into the air and performed a backflip, driving its foot against the larger Pokemon's lower jaw. Lucario then leaped into the air and joined its two aura bones together to form its staff-like long bone, spinning it high over its head to build up momentum.

"CAR!" The Aura Pokemon drove the long bone against Pangoro's chest with terrific force, releasing a pulse of aura from the impact and Pangoro was sent skidding backwards from the force. However, Pangoro dug its claws into the ground, tearing small trenches in the battlefield before it came to a stop.

"AURA SPHERE!" Korrina ordered.

"FOCUS BLAST!" Naruto countered.

Both Pokemon raised their paws up to their chests before glowing blue energy swirled to life within them, condensing into tight, compact spheres of restrained power. The two Pokemon growled at one another before unleashing their respective energy blasts.

"LUCA!"

"PAN!"

Aura Sphere and Focus Blast tore through the air before crashing against one another. They pushed against one another, caving inwards when it was thought one of them would overpower the other, but it resulted in an eventual stalemate as a massive and powerful explosion occurred. Blue light and brown smoke covered the battlefield before quickly dispersed.

"You're good, Naruto." Korrina smirked before raising her hand up and tapping her Mega Stone. "But let's see if you're good enough to handle Lucario at its best! Lucario, Mega Evolve!"

The Lucarionite on Lucario's arm band released a bright blue glow as Korrina's Mega Stone unleashed a bright golden one. Seven energy bolts raced out from both stones before connecting and became a vibrant electric blue colour entirely. The energies then transferred over to Lucario's body, enveloping its form in an identical glow. The glow then shattered apart as if it were a cocoon and a bright rainbow coloured symbol, the symbol of Mega Evolution, hung high over the Pokemon's head to reveal Mega Lucario in all its glory.

Its cream fur became longer, and its thighs slimmed down. It developed more spikes on the back of its paws, which had turned crimson. It also developed spikes on both of its feet, which had become crimson too. Its aura-sensing appendages grew longer, and two of them were tipped in crimson. Its shoulders also possessed a spike each. Its aura heightened throughout its body, which formed black markings on its blue fur.

"Ok...that's pretty badass." Naruto commented with a toothy grin.

"Lu." Mega Lucario smirked at Naruto's compliment, taking it in stride.

"Thinkin' of giving up about now, Whiskers?"

"As if, girlie."

"If you insist. Lucario, Bone Rush!"

"Alright, Pangoro, no holding back this time! Karate Chop!"

"LU!"

"PAN!"

Mega Lucario swung two powerful short bone staffs of aura which collided with Pangoro's glowing paws. A powerful shockwave raced out from the point of impact as the two attacks collided. Pangoro swung its arms down, cracking the earth as Mega Lucario dodged to the left and then swung one of its bones overhead. Pangoro ducked and then performed a wide swipe which Mega Lucario leaped over. Mega Lucario then swung one bone staff down on Pangoro's head, but the Dark/Fighting-type quickly crossed its arms and blocked the attack, and remained strong as Mega Lucario swung its second bone down immediately after.

The force traveled through the Daunting Pokemon's body and the ground shudered and quaked before a massive crater formed beneath Pangoro's feet. The panda-like Pokemon gritted teeth before growling and pushed back with its amazing strength.

"Dark Pulse attack!" Naruto called out.

"Rip through it with your aura!" Korrina countered.

Mega Lucario tumbled through the air before Pangoro unleashed a Dark Pulse attack only for Mega Lucario to form an Aura Sphere and crash it down on the ground, the pulse of aura ripping through the Dark-type move like it wasn't even there.

"Rip through that aura pulse and then use Focus Blast!" Pangoro held up its arms and pushed against the aura pulse, and quickly tore through it with its claws before opening its jaws widely and charged up a pulsating spheroid of blue energy.

"PAN!" The powerful spheroid of blue energy rocketed towards Mega Lucario with devastating speed, but the mega evolved Pokemon quickly leaped over it, twisting its body to take advantage of the blast wave to position its body at the proper position in the air before charging up an Aura Sphere.

"CAR!" Mega Lucario unleashed the powerful Fighting-type attack, but Pangoro quickly sidestepped the attack and a massive explosion occurred behind it, a crater forming as a result. Pangoro and Lucario then reared back their fists.

"POWER-UP PUNCH!" Korrina and Naruto ordered simultaneously.

"PANGO!"

"LUCAR!"

Both Pokemon let their glowing golden fists fly and the two Fighting-type attacks collided with devastating force, releasing a massive shockwave from the point of impact. The two Pokemon gritted their teeth as they glared at one another, their muscles bulging and trembling as they tried to overpower one another. However, they were put into a stalemate as they were sent skidding backwards away from each other. However, both their fists were glowing as they charged at one another once more.

Shockwaves and powerful booms echoed throughout the Shalour City Gym as the Power-Up punches collided again and again. Right hook. Left hook. Uppercut. Right jab. Left jab. Elbow strike. Knee strike. Headbutt. The two Pokemon met each other blow for blow until their fists bypassed each other and with a resounding cry from both, they struck each other on the side of the face, blood flying from their mouths.

They went flying through the air, spiraling from the twists they put on each others' punches all the way across to opposite ends of the battlefield before crashing down into the ground with crater creating impacts. Smoke and dust covered their forms for a few moments and everyone watching stared at the clouds in anticipation. Finally, the clouds dispersed and they revealed both Pokemon unconscious, Mega Lucario immediately reverting back to its original state.

"Pangoro and Lucario are both unable to battle! This match is a draw!" Gurrkin announced.

"Woah! That was awesome!" Ash and Clemont exclaimed as they ran down to the main floor. Serena and Bonnie followed right after and were in even more amazement as they looked over the crater-filled, cracked battleground.

"I didn't think there was a Pokemon that could fight on such a level with Mega Lucario." Serena said with wide eyes.

"Man, I'm so psyched for when I get to have my battle with Korrina." Ash grinned, shaking with excitement. "We better train even harder so we'll be able to beat her when we battle, right Pikachu?"

"Ka Cha!" Pikachu gave its trainer a thumbs-up.

Korrina returned Lucario to its Poke Ball before skating across to Naruto's location, the taller blond kneeling down and patting his unconscious Pokemon on the head for a job well done. He then looked up as he saw Korrina staring down at him with an outstretched arm.

"You've gotten stronger, Whiskers. You can fight on even ground with Mega Lucario, I'd think it's good enough to say you fulfilled that promise of yours."

Naruto clasped his rival's hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet. "Yup. Looks like I'm finally your equal." The two trainers shook their hands and grinned toothily at one another.

* * *

Two Days Later- Roof, Tower of Mastery

Korrina sat with her feet dangling over the edge of the Tower of Mastery, gazing up at the endless abyss that was the night sky. The stars twinkled and the crescent moon cast its silvery-white glow on the sea's surface making it seem as if it were made of liquid silver. The Fighting-type gym leader didn't even have to turn her head as someone sat down beside her and joined her in her star gazing.

"You okay, girlie?" Naruto asked. Korrina smirked in amusement at the question.

"Yeah, but still a bit disappointed. First I draw with you, but then I lose to Ash the very next day, I'm beginning to think my 100 battle winning streak is your fault. You should leave." Naruto held his hand to his heart, a look of mock hurt present as he snapped his head in her direction.

"You're so hurtful!" He sobbed. "Why must you abuse me so, girlie, why?!"

The two trainers shared a laugh before a comfortable silence appeared. However, it was quickly broken as Naruto raised a hand and raised up a lock of lemon yellow hair.

"You know, you always wore your hair in a ponytail when we were kids. I never noticed that your hair was this long." He commented.

"What are you talking about, you've seen me take off the ponytail when it was time to go to bed." She replied, raising an eyebrow.

"You did?" He raised his own eyebrow. He shrugged. "Guess I never really took it on before, but I gotta say the long hair looks good on you."

"Shut up." She punched him lightly on the shoulder, a small blush forming on her face. She twirled a lock of her lengthy hair around her index finger and a small smile formed on her face. "But thanks. Hey ummm...I know this is a weird question to ask, but ummm what exactly do you think...of me?"

"What do I think of you?" Naruto repeated with a questioning tone. "You're my best friend and one of the best people I know, if that's what you mean."

"No, not like that." She shook her head immediately. A deep blush formed on her face as her embarrassment and awkwardness came to the surface. "What I mean is...do you think I've grown up? Do I look more like a woman to you?" Her blush then intensified when she saw Naruto's face go through a swift change from embarrassed with a blush, to realization and then to analytical as he leaned closer to her and looked her up and down. Once he finished staring into her soul, he sat back upright.

"Well...we're fifteen now so I guess puberty worked for the both of us. I got taller and you got...those." He said awkwardly as he made an hourglass shape with his hands, signifying he was aware of the curves his friend now possessed. "So, yeah...you have gotten more womanly in that way, but you're still the same rough, sassy, abusive smartass of a girlie that I've always known...and I'd rather you not change that."

"...You could've just stopped once you answered my question." She mumbled. Her gray eyes then met Naruto's before it trailed down over his form. "I gotta admit though, you've gotten more than just taller. I remember you were a little stick man before you left." She punched his deltoid. "But you've put some meat on those bones. By the way, I've been wondering...what happened to your arm?"

Naruto looked down at the bandaged limb, clenching and un-clenching his hand. "Pangoro and I were training a lot one day. We ran into a pack of Houndour and I got hit with an Ember and it burned up my arm pretty badly."

"By Arceus." Korrina gasped.

"Pangoro beat the shit out of them as a result, and I managed to get to a hospital in time since we were near to Cyllage City at the time. They fixed it up and managed to repair most of my arm, but it left a lot of scar tissue so I wrapped it up to hide them." Naruto smiled. "And you gotta admit, I make the bandaged look look pretty damn good, right?"

"You dumbass." She muttered as she placed him in a chokehold. He released gurgled cry as he tried to pry the terrifyingly strong girl's arm off of his windpipe

"Korrina..you're killing me." He croaked.

"You...You don't write or call in two years! I was worried as shit about you because of that! Then you come back unannounced and I find out you injure yourself like an idiot! You nearly lost your bloody arm, you shit stain!" Her grip slackened as tears dropped down from her eyes. Naruto glanced up as he just sat there, letting the gray eyed girl hold him as she cried. "You reckless dumbass."

"Hey." He sat back up and gripped her face as he made her look him in the eyes. "I'm still alive and I'm back. I'm home, Korrina...just like I promised." Korrina sniffed as she quickly wiped away her tears before nodding with a soft smile on her face.

"Mhmm. Welcome back."

The two blondes then realized how close their faces were before shifting back a bit, embarrassed blushes on their faces.

"So..." Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "...what's your plan now?" Korrina tilted her head in confusion as she looked at her best friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Well ever since you lost to Ash, you've been looking like you were conflicted about something. You're too strong to be hung up over losing one battle, so what's up?"

"You know me too well, Whiskers." She said more to herself than to Naruto, said boy chuckling at her musings. "But you're right, and actually after the battle with Ash I realized that despite all the training I've done, I let the power of Lucario's Mega Evolution get to my head. You are really strong, Naruto, so I never let the fact that we drew in our battle get to me, but my battle with Ash showed that I've become too reliant on Mega Evolution the moment I achieved mastery over it. I need to get back to my roots with Lucario, get back to seriously training with Lucario as just Lucario, not Mega Lucario."

"Sooooooo, training trip?"

"Training trip." She nodded in confirmation.

"Cool. When do we leave?"

"We?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Girlie, I haven't seen you in two years. If you think I'm gonna let you go out of my sights and let you go on a training trip by yourself, then you've got another thing coming."

Korrina stared at Naruto with wide eyes, his own sapphire orbs showing no hint of joking or that childish mischief it usually held. He was dead serious about going with her. Korrina chuckled at her best friend before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Fine, you idiot."

"But I'm your idiot."

"Damn straight."

The two then fixated their gazes back to the moon and stars once more, pointing out constellations, smiling, laughing and simply enjoying each others' company.

* * *

The Next Day

Naruto, Korrina, Pangoro and Lucario stood at the edge of Shalour City's entrance with Gurrkin and his Lucario.

"You have everything you need?"

"For the last time, Grandpa, yes! Geez, stop doting on me so much!" The fifteen year old girl whined making the Mega Evolution Guru chuckle.

"You look out for my granddaughter for me, eh Naruto?"

"As I always have, Gramps." Naruto gave Gurrkin a mock salute as he received a hard punch to the shoulder from said granddaughter. She then turned to glare at Pangoro and Lucario as they snickered at how she was being treated like a child.

"I hate you all." She pouted.

"Well, I'll hold down the fort while you kids are gone." Gurrkin stated. "I'll be the Gym Leader in your place, Korrina. Be careful and stay safe."

"We will, Grandpa." She hugged the shorter man and then kissed him on the cheek. She turned around and then walked off through the gates beside Naruto and the two grinned at one another as their Pokemon followed right behind them. Gurrkin continued to stare in silence as they drew further and further away from his eyes before turning to his Lucario.

"Those better get together before they come back."

"Lu." The Aura Pokemon nodded in agreement with its trainer.


End file.
